Bowling is a fun and challenging activity. A bowler inserts his or her fingers into the holes of a bowling ball and swings the ball underhanded to launch the ball down a bowling lane. The goal of the game is to score points by knocking down pins standing at the opposite end of the lane. The bowling lane is flanked on both sides by gutters. A rolled ball that strays too far to either side of the lane will fall in the gutter and be guided around the pins without a score for the bowler.
A big part of the fun of bowling is rolling the bowling ball down the lane at high speeds. A fast rolling ball increases the pace of the game, provides a more satisfying impact with the bowling pins, and increases scores by causing the pins to bounce around the pin deck with more energy, which generally results in more pins being knocked down and a higher score.
Many people, particularly children or those with handicaps, desire to participate in bowling but are not physically capable of rolling a bowling ball down the lane. Several technologies are available that allow children to participate in bowling. Some bowling alleys offer bumpers that can be deployed to prevent the bowling ball from falling into the gutters. Rather than falling in the gutter and being routed around the pins, the ball bounces off the bumper back toward the center of the lane. Bumpers help children, who commonly have trouble rolling the ball straight down the lane, be able to hit the pins instead of only getting gutter balls. However, the bumpers do not increase the speed of a child's roll, and do not significantly help a handicapped person who is physically unable to roll a bowling ball in the first place.
Bowling alleys may offer bowling ramps, which use the force of gravity to launch a bowling ball down a bowling lane. A user places a bowling ball on top of the ramp, and the ball gains speed as it rolls down the ramp. The ramp allows a user to get a ball down the lane who otherwise would not be able to do so, e.g., a handicapped person in a wheel chair or a child who simply cannot roll the ball with sufficient speed to reach the pins. However, the ramp is a passive device that still does not launch the ball with a satisfying amount of speed. The ball rolls off the ramp and down the lane at a leisurely pace, having enough speed to knock down the pins but not enough to really send the pins flying as desired.
Therefore, a need exists for a device that can propel a bowling ball down a bowling lane at speeds comparable to a capable bowler.